Many different types of chemicals are produced from the processing of petroleum. However, petroleum is becoming more expensive because of increased demand in recent decades.
Therefore, attempts have been made to provide alternative sources for the starting materials for manufacturing chemicals. Attention is now being focused on producing liquid hydrocarbons from solid carbonaceous materials, such as coal, which is available in large quantities in countries such as the United States and China.
Pyrolysis of coal produces coke and coal tar. The coke-making or “coking” process consists of heating the material in closed vessels in the absence of oxygen to very high temperatures. Coke is a porous but hard residue that is mostly carbon and inorganic ash, which is used in making steel.
Coal tar is the volatile material that is driven off during heating, and it comprises a mixture of a number of hydrocarbon compounds. It can be separated to yield a variety of organic compounds, such as benzene, toluene, xylene, naphthalene, anthracene, and phenanthrene. These organic compounds can be used to make numerous products, for example, dyes, drugs, explosives, flavorings, perfumes, preservatives, synthetic resins, and paints and stains.
While lighter hydrocarbon streams from coal tar can be more easily processed to produce desirable products, the pitch stream includes aromatic cores that make the pitch more difficult to react in further processing. The residual pitch left from the separation conventionally is used for paving, roofing, waterproofing, and insulation.
There is a need for improved processes for pyrolyzing a coal feed.